‘Healthiest’ winners take a flexible approach to wellness

For the organizations leading the Healthiest category on Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare list, wellness isn’t one-size-fits-all. The companies offer flexible perks that enable employees to pursue their goals in the way that works best for them.

“We really listen to our employees when we are thinking about our benefit package, and that has resulted in adding a number of benefits over the last several years,” said Rosa Hooper, senior vice president of operations and assistant secretary at Medical Properties Trust, which owns about 440 hospitals around the world.

Based in Birmingham, Alabama, the company pays the full premium for health, dental and vision insurance for its employees. It also recently added assisted reproductive technology coverage.

To encourage fitness, Medical Properties Trust provides a gym and yoga classes at its headquarters, along with reimbursing the three-quarters of employees who choose to join an off-site gym or wellness program.

The company also pays for concierge physicians of the employee’s choice, Hooper said. The service includes an annual physical, including lab work. She herself most appreciates the convenience, including same-day or next-day appointments and telephone access after normal working hours.

“I’ve called the physician at 6 in the evening after I’ve come home sick after being out of town and he will call in a prescription for me,” she said.

At Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Franklin, Wisconsin, the leadership team aims to help staff find balance through its benefits.

“The work that we do is hard work and it’s stressful work,” said CEO Sheila Gansemer. “So how do you find those moments of mindfulness each day and how do you make sure you weave in a little fun?”

MOSH, jointly owned by a group of orthopedic surgeons and Ascension Wisconsin, is located inside the Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - Franklin Campus.

Its employees can access Ascension’s MyCare resources, including an employee assistance program and a virtual chaplain service. The resources also include the Wysa app, which promotes mental health via a chatbot that provides support for sleep, mindfulness, anxiety control and mood enhancement.

Unity Medical Center, a 14-bed critical-access hospital and two family care clinics serving the Grafton, North Dakota, region, has worked to boost retention through promoting employee well-being.

“We work hard to find the right match for each position and, once we bring them on, we really nurture the relationship and do everything we can think of to make it work well,” said CEO Alan O’Neil.

The medical center encourages employees to use its physical therapy gym for free outside of physical therapy appointment hours. Its health and wellness committee, facilitated by UMC’s dietitian and physical therapy assistant, plans health-oriented events throughout the year such as cooking classes, wellness challenges and a summer walking club.

The committee hosts presenters from UMC’s employee assistance program to offer educational sessions on topics such as stress management, emotional and mental health, physical health and financial health.

The strategy is paying off: Nursing vacancies are rare and there hasn’t been any turnover in the laboratory for three years, O’Neil said.

Helping employees manage stress and mental health, as well as physical health, is also a priority for Compass One Healthcare, a food and support services company for more than 2,100 hospitals and health systems. The company offers its employees 100% coverage for preventive care, lifestyle health coaching, chronic condition management and a nurse support line.

Recognizing that its managers were struggling with burnout, Wayne, Pennsylvania-headquartered Compass One recently launched a flexible time off benefit: sick days and vacation days that its managers can take without accruing hours.

“Our FTO benefit is intended to help reinforce and drive work/life balance for our salaried employees,” said Andy Maus, senior vice president of human resources. “It empowers them to take their needed and well-deserved time off and provides flexibility in doing so.”

Lola Butcher is a freelance journalist who writes about health policy and the business of healthcare.